Advice for ACCT2102
I have several tips and tricks for doing well on ACCT2102 exams. Whether your class just began or the end of the semester is approaching and you need to pass -I believe my advice will help increase your exam scores. You don’t necessarily have to do all of it but I’d highly recommend doing at least most. My suggestions are meant to be done over the time you’re learning the material. This is not for people looking to cram 24 hours before the exam.
My advice is based on observations from working with students, my own experiences, and Famer’s advice. I took ACCT2102 as well as ACCT5100 with Professor Farmer, so I have quite a bit of experience in studying for her exams.
ACCT2102 Study Tips
- Review your exam! Even though you’re not responsible for the content going forward- it will be extremely beneficial to see the mistakes you made, so you can be mindful going forward. Try to make a mental list of where things went wrong for you and jot it down immediately afterward…. (i.e. missed something in the problem context, incorrect calculations, solved for the wrong thing, etc.)
- Write EVERYTHING completely out for homework, quizzes, lectures, etc. I know this can be time-consuming and a pain but I believe it’s incredibly important. Writing things out helps you learn and understand. Don’t try to take shortcuts and only write “what you need” for the problem. I see students doing this all the time and it drives me crazy! Write out the full problem and solve all of it. Label everything.
- I know she emphasizes ‘prep your data’. DO THIS. Be systematic about your approach rather than all over the place. It doesn’t necessarily have to be her “template”. Find a way to set up the problem that works for you.
- When you’re going through practice problems, especially right before an exam, write out all your formulas with words then with the actual numbers.
- After each chapter, write out your own study guide/conceptual overview. You’re basically rewriting the notes in your own words. Her slides can crammed with a lot of information so it’s really helpful to have your own organized version. I’d also recommend reworking the in-class practice problems. She tends to ask a lot of questions about ONE example in the notes so I’d rewrite it out completely and try to work through all of them by yourself before looking at the answers.
- Do this before attempting HW’s and quizzes.
- For practice problems (and maybe homework/quiz problems) think about what else you could “solve for” given the information and solve it.
- ^ Along with that, think about other ways the information could be presented to you. In this unit she can give you info in VC, FC, mixed, etc. How would that change what you need to do for the problem? What would that look like?
- Read. every. single. word. (and process it!!!) This seems so silly but I’ve seen countless students just glaze over the first few sentences thinking it’s just ‘fluff’… It’s not. One word can change the entire problem. Read and process ALL of it.
- Keep an error log. When working on a HW/quiz/practice problem try to work through it completely without looking at your notes. If you don’t get the problem correct or you get stuck–record it in your error log. I’d recommend writing down the problem # (i.e. HW 6 q. 2), concept, type of problem (conceptual, calculation, analysis), and where you went wrong or got stuck. This will help you prioritize what to study during crunch time. It doesn’t have to be super complex. Write it on a piece of notebook paper and just keep up with it.
- Build your stamina. Try to study with no distractions for several hours at a time. You know the exams are long and hard so train your brain to be prepared for that.
- That being said, don’t burn yourself out on exam day. Maybe an hour or two as a mental warm-up but don’t overdo it.
- Do the practice problems in random order. Don’t go in order of chapters or work on an entire chapter at one time.
- Along with that, I’d recommend only doing the additional practice problems 1-2 times. You start to memorize problems and your brain begins to only be able to think of things a certain way.
In summary, write things out and try to see the big picture. Don’t get too focused on working through problems or seeing how she solves problems without thinking about what the numbers mean and why you’re using them.
I hope all this information helps!
Take some deep breaths. You got this.
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